Resurrection
by Inuluvr
Summary: A year has passed since Naruto and Kyuubi switched back, and the nine-tails passed away. But now, Sakura begins to notice a change in her teammate, and his seal is beginning to act up violently. What is happening? Little NaruSaku. Sequel to Reversal.
1. A New Beginning

_This is a sequel to my previous story, Reversal. I suggest that, before reading this, you read Reversal first, since otherwise, a few things won't really add up. Or, if you don't feel like reading all 31 chapters, go ahead and try and read this first, though it may prove difficult to follow. [_

_Inuluvr_

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Sakura gazed up at the brilliant blue sky, watching as puffy clouds drifted lazily to the east, past the newly risen sun. A fall breeze combed through her hair, and she sighed, turning to lean on the railing of the bridge. Watching the small stream below, she let her thoughts drift with the wind. She thought back to when Team 7 had been a 3-man team, before Orochimaru, or any other ninja had gotten in the way of their friendship. It seemed to have been forever…

It had been almost a year, since all three of them had shared their last adventure; since her teammate had drawn his final breath. She, Naruto, and many others had mourned Sasuke's death, and as time continued, their opened wounds of the cut friendship had begun to heal. Except, perhaps, for Naruto. He had returned to his normal, giddy self, but occasionally, Sakura caught a slight flash of sadness in his eyes, or noticed a brief moment when the smile faded from his face. However, when she saw those sudden emotions, she would take his hand, or smile sadly at him, letting him know she was with him. He then would smile back at her, and usually laugh his seriousness off as daydreaming. But Sakura knew better, though she never said anything.

Lately, however, these moments of sadness had been haunted by another emotion, one she couldn't quite place… She had noticed a decline in his normal behavior; he seemed to be less responsive, and his eyes, normally flashing with excitement, had been dull recently, and she had noticed that worry was beginning to crease each of his smiles. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but knew better; he would never tell.

Sakura looked up to see Sai walking towards her. She smiled as he drew near, greeting him politely, and he responded with a superficial smile, followed by a nod of the head. He leaned on the rail opposite of her and reached in his pouch, withdrawing a sketchbook and a pencil. Situating himself, he began to sketch, knowing that it would be at least an hour before Kakashi arrived to give them their mission. He would glance up periodically at Sakura and the bridge, so she decided to stay as still as she could, guessing he was using her as a model, as he often did.

Several minutes passed, and except for the occasional chatting villagers that passed, the only noise was the wind passing through the trees, rattling the leaves, and the scratching of Sai's pencil against paper as he continued to work on his picture. Sakura began to worry, however, as Naruto did not appear. It wasn't normal for him to be late, especially when they were supposed to have been assigned a B-ranked mission. Sakura slid her head slightly, testing to see if Sai needed her head to be still. When he did not respond to her movement, she turned her head completely to the left, watching for her teammate.

For a while, nothing happened, and Sakura became apprehensive. However, just as she was about to say something to Sai about it, she saw a familiar blonde walking slowly down the street, his head bent, kicking up small clouds of dust as he dragged his feet. As he drew near, he looked up at Sakura and Sai, greeting them both, before settling himself next to Sakura, leaning heavily on the railing. For a moment, none of them spoke, and Naruto yawned, closing his eyes.

Sakura looked at her teammate worriedly, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, and his slumped position. He seemed very dazed, and unfocused; characteristics that were very unlike him. She studied him more, taking mental notes on his unkempt appearance. He opened his eyes again, and met hers, noticing that she had been staring at him.

"Sakura-san, is there something wrong?" He spoke in a very worn voice, and looked at her with glassy eyes. She shook her head and sighed.

"No… it's just… are you ok? You don't look well." His eyes flashed the mysterious emotion briefly, but he forced a smile, and let out a dry laugh.

"I'm fine, Sakura-san! Though, I feel I may be coming down with something. But that's ok! You're here if I need anything." Sakura returned the fake smile, then gazed back up at the sky, still worried about Naruto.

That emotion he had flashed so quickly just moments ago, it was the same emotion she had noticed haunting his eyes more than once, but as she realized what it was, it was unexplainable. It was a flash of fear. Sakura wanted nothing more than to just ask him what was wrong, to help him overcome whatever it was, but she knew if she asked him, he would wave it off as a figment of her imagination. He was always like that, so obstinate and stubborn, and all to protect others from feeling the pain he went through.

Sakura shook her head, and looked back down at the street, noticing the crowds in the village had thickened as the sun had risen higher in the sky. Sai pushed himself off the railing, and tore the picture he had been working on out of his sketchbook. He walked over to where Sakura stood, and handed it to her, smiling as he spoke.

"I read once in a book that giving people presents that relate to something they like will make them more willing to be friends." Sakura looked at him, surprised, then peered curiously down at the picture he had given her, while Naruto continued to stand with his eyes closed, not paying attention to anything that was happening.

"I noticed you were feeling relaxed when you were looking at the sky and the stream." He motioned to the stream below.

"Sai! This is… beautiful!" She studied the picture in her hand; a sketch of a stream, weaving through the roots of several large, blossoming cherry trees, their petals slipping to the ground. "Thank you, Sai! It's breathtaking!" She gave him a friendly hug, and he nodded to her, smiling back. "And Sai, you don't have to give me anything, I'm your friend, no matter what!"

"Ah, but I'm not giving it to you… not yet." He took the sheet from her, and rolled it up, sticking it in his pouch like a scroll. "It's missing something… but inspiration needs to hit, and Kakashi is here, so I'll finish it later."

And surely, a few seconds later, Kakashi appeared on the bridge, greeting them with a casual 'yo'.

"You're late!" Sakura shouted at the silver-haired nin, as he laughed guiltily.

"No, no… you see there was this beautiful woman I met on the way, and she asked me to dance. And being the great man I am…"

"You liar!" Sakura glared daggers at him as he finished his excuse. She opened her mouth to yell another accusation, but stopped herself as Naruto pushed himself off the railing and came over, hunching slightly as he walked.

"What's the mission, Kakashi-sensei? I'd like to get it done soon, so we can go home quickly." Sakura turned to Naruto. She had _never_ heard him this unenthusiastic about a mission. Kakashi shot a questioning look at Sakura, but she shook her head slightly, showing that she was as confused as he was. Kakashi looked worriedly at Naruto, and noticing his sickly appearance, questioned him. Naruto shrugged the questions off as though they were nothing, claiming that he was feeling slightly sick today. Kakashi sighed at his vague responses, and continued with the mission.

"Well, as you all know, we were supposed to be assigned a B-rank mission, but it was cancelled, so we have the day off." He turned to Naruto. "Relax a little; why don't you three go for some ramen?" He smiled beneath his mask, and disappeared in a puff of smoke before any of them respond. Sakura smiled.

"That's a great idea! Let's go, I'll even pay!" Sai shook his head.

"I'm not permitted to do anything other than missions, so I will be returning home, now." And Sai too, disappeared in a brief puff of smoke. Sakura turned to Naruto, and smiled warmly at him.

"Well, then, I guess that just leaves the two of us?" Naruto looked at her, his cerulean eyes unfocused and forlorn.

"I suppose…" Naruto began to walk off, when Sakura lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto…. Won't you tell me what's wrong? I can tell something is troubling you…" Naruto turned and shook his head, not even attempting to hide his fatigue.

"It's nothing, Sakura…" She held onto his shoulder firmly.

"Tell me." Naruto tried to push off her hand, but as they struggled, he suddenly crumpled to the ground in pain, blood dripping from his mouth. Sakura, terror-stricken, knelt beside her fallen comrade and tried to help him, though soon, he had fallen unconscious, blood still dripping from his mouth.

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Naruto opened his eyes weakly to see a pink-haired kunoichi standing over him, worry filling her emerald-green eyes.

"What happened…?" He managed to ask, his vision still blurred from sleep. Sakura's voice cut sharply into him.

"I was going to ask_you_ the same thing." Naruto could hear an edge to her voice, and as he watched, she moved stiffly, applying a cold cloth to his burning head. "It's not everyday somebody completely healthy falls to the ground, coughing up blood, and ends up in the hospital with a high fever." Confused, Naruto shook his head.

"A high fever? What do you-"

"I mean exactly what I say… you've been out cold for a few hours now, and neither Tsunade nor I could find anything wrong with you… I was worried sick!" Naruto, rubbing his head, blinked in surprise, feeling his head burning. "Now, I expect you to tell me what's wrong, since I _know _you're aware of what's going on." Sakura looked at him expectantly, her hands placed on her hips as she waited for a response.

"Sakura-san, I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Too bad, Naruto. I want to know, and I'm not going to let you out of here until you tell me what's wrong!" Naruto held his head in his hand, trying to stop the headache that had begun to haunt him.

"Sakura… promise you won't say anything… no matter what." Sakura hesitated, then nodded, knowing that it would be ok if she knew at least, what was wrong. "Alright, Sakura…" He sighed, hiding his eyes from her. "It's the seal… it's acting up. It's never happened before, but… something must have set it off…" Sakura felt a gasp catch in her throat.

"B-but I thought-"

"Yeah, I thought the seal was inactive, too… but apparently not…" Sakura looked seriously at Naruto.

"Let me see the seal." Nodding, Naruto lifted his shirt slightly, revealing his seal, a series of red marks encircling his navel. She brushed her fingertips against the seal, and found it burned as she came in contact with it. He winced as she touched the seal. "Naruto… we should tell Tsunade…" Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"No. I don't want her to know. I don't want to put her through my problems." He pulled his shirt back over his navel. "And I don't want you to worry about me." Sakura nodded, lowering her eyes. "Now, I want to go home-" Sakura opened her mouth to speak. "You can't keep me here."

Naruto stood, swinging his feet over the bed and walking to the door, meeting with Sakura's anxious eyes.

"Sakura, I'll be fine, don't worry!" He left her with a smile, and he headed back to his apartment.

When he arrived, it was dark, and as he unlocked the door and turned on the light, he felt another wave of fatigue overcome him. He collapsed onto his bed, closing his eyes briefly, before getting back up to turn off the light. He decided to skip dinner and head right to bed, feeling sick to his stomach. And so, he closed his eyes, drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Naruto's eyes snapped open as a large hand closed around the side of his head, slamming him into the wall.

"So, you're the jinchuuriki, hmm?" A low male voice echoed through his head as Naruto tried to sort out what was going on. "You really don't look like much to me." The man swung his arm, slamming Naruto's head into another wall, before letting him fall to the floor.

"Who… the hell…?" Naruto managed to choke out, as blood welled in his mouth. The figure picked Naruto up by the throat, pinning him to the wall.

"Heh… you don't remember me?" He paused briefly. "No… I suppose you wouldn't… Not that it matters." He tightened his grip on Naruto's throat, and the young blonde reached his hand weakly to the fingers that held him fast.

"Why aren't you waking up, brat?" Naruto, losing consciousness quickly, tried to pry the fingers from his throat, though he froze as he felt the man's other hand reach to his seal.

"I see… he's farther gone than ever… I suppose it'll take a little more than some encouragement to wake him up." He looked back up at Naruto's face, meeting with his eyes. "Heh, any time now, kid. Just give up now, and make it easier on yourself." And Naruto's vision began to blacken, as he fell into a cold unconsciousness. He heard one last sentence, however, before his world was enveloped in darkness.

"Alright, Kyuubi. It's time to come back."

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And there you have it! The first chapter to the sequel of Reversal! I hope you guys enjoy!


	2. The Missing Nin

The Missing Nin

Sakura opened her eyes, turning in her bed to see shafts of the morning light illuminating her room. She smiled, remembering that the day was Saturday, and she had no missions to tie up her free time. She sat up and stretched, yawning as she swung her legs over the edge of her bed.

She walked to her window and gazed out, taking in the scene of the town below, people bustling about as the normal buzz of chatter filled the air. Sakura frowned, thinking of the discussion she and Naruto had had the day before. It was true, she was worried about him. She was afraid that the seal might have acted up again in the night, but if she had not been there to stop the bleeding…. She shook the thought from her head. It would be best to stop by his apartment, to make sure he was well, and nothing had happened, and so she decided to dress and invite him for ramen at Ichiraku.

As she walked down the street, she felt as though something was abnormal; something was out of place. It felt to her as though a strong chakra had swept through the village recently, and a slight essence had been left behind.

It was unusually cold for a fall day, and the wind chilled her even more. She shivered as a strong gust of wind rushed down the street, leaves swirling madly. She pushed through the crowds and escaped to a small, abandoned alleyway, where she then made her way briskly to Naruto's apartment, feeling the need to see him.

As she approached the door to his room, she brushed her hair back and straightened her dress. She reached to the door and knocked softly, not wanting to alarm the blonde, who was likely to be sleeping. As nobody came to answer the door, she knocked slightly louder. As the door remained unanswered, she felt apprehension fill her. Assuring herself she was only letting her imagination get the better of her, and that Naruto wasn't hurt… or worse, she pounded on the door, holding her breath.

However, Naruto still did not appear. Sakura, worried, tried the door, finding it unlocked. Quietly, she slipped into the dark room, scanning the room for any sign of Naruto. However, the room was too dark, since the blinds were pulled, and the lights were off. She reached her hand to the wall, trying to find the light switch. After several moments of groping the wall, her finger landed on the small switch, and she flipped it on, freezing as she saw the room.

The room, which was usually moderately clean, aside from the usual clothes strewn across the floor, was a mess, books and scrolls scattered about. It was then that she noticed the walls… and the bed. Blood was smeared crudely across the wall, and on one part, it was splattered, as though someone had been hit with a kunai, and the bed, empty, was soaked with the sticky red substance. Her eyes wide in terror, she leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

"N-Naruto!" She whispered as tears slid down her cheeks. She could see, just from the blood and scattered scrolls, that there had been a struggle, and that there was a good chance…. Naruto… was dead…

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Tsunade glared at the papers scattered across her desk, before grabbing her sake bottle and leaning back in her chair. She uncorked the bottle and gulped down the last half, feeling the drink slip down her parched throat. She swiveled her chair to look out the window and sighed, thinking about the work that she had yet to do.

She sighed and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose to ease the headache that had begun to haunt her. She was drifting off into a light sleep, letting herself relax after several hours of deskwork, when Shizune burst into the room.

She was panting heavily, and when Tsunade turned to talk to her, she saw her assistant was distraught, her eyes wide with panic and fear. She shook as she spoke, and her voice quavered as though she was on the verge of breaking into tears.

"Tsu…Tsunade-sama…" She spoke quickly, and in small bursts, out of breath from running to Tsunade's office. Tsunade, seeing her assistant so upset, stood and helped the panicking ninja to a seat, and stood over her, placing her hands squarely on her shoulders.

"Shizune-san. Get a hold of yourself… take a deep breath, and tell me what's wrong." Shizune, by this time, had finally broken into sobs, and choked out barely audible words.

"I…it's Naruto-kun…" She said between sobs, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. This wasn't good. She needed to know what was wrong, and now. She spoke to Shizune seriously and sternly, knowing not to panic.

"Shizune I want you to tell me everything that's happened. Is Naruto hurt? Or has something happened with his seal…?" Shizune shook her head, rubbing tears away from her eyes.

"No…. Tsunade-sama… he's gone!" Tsunade froze.

"He's left the village?!?" Again, Shizune shook her head.

"We think… we think… he might have…. been dragged away…. Maybe even… killed and taken… His room was a mess… and there was blood everywhere…." Shizune burst out into tears again, and Tsunade walked over to her desk, cursing profusely under her breath. Quickly, she summoned a squad of ANBU, watching as four masked nins appeared in front of her. The leader stepped forward and bowed slightly, watching Tsunade closely.

"You called?" Tsunade nodded.

"Naruto has gone missing… it's likely he's been taken by force, as there are sure signs of a struggle." She paused briefly to let the information sink in. All stood rigidly with fear, and it was some moments before the leader spoke again.

"And you want us to find him." Tsunade nodded.

"But that's only half of it. I want two of you to track him, and I want the other two to bring Inu and Jiraiya to me." She held up her hand, seeing that they were ready to protest. "I know, he gave up his ANBU title long ago, but I believe that he'll be willing to help… After all, he is one of the best trackers we have in Konoha." The ANBU hesitated for a moment, but nodded in understanding, and the four vanished. Tsunade turned back to the hysterical Shizune.

"Shizune… who… who found Naruto was gone?" Shizune looked up at Tsunade with teary eyes, and in a whispery voice, told her. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Where is she?" Shizune told her how she had taken Sakura to the hospital, since the young kunoichi was suffering from shock. Tsunade nodded briskly and sent Shizune to summon the rest of the ANBU, and tell them to lock down Konoha. Even though the chance was slim, Tsunade wanted to ensure that if Naruto was still in the village, he'd stay in the village. Shizune had almost left when Tsunade stopped her and asked to bring Sakura to her, as well.

For several moments, she let her mind wander, worrying about Naruto, and worrying about the village… Even if Naruto claimed Kyuubi was no longer a threat, she was worried that if he fell into the wrong hands-

Her thoughts were interrupted as a silver-haired nin dressed in ANBU garb, his mask in hand, slipped into the room. He looked at her through his uncovered eye, and frowned beneath his black mask.

"Kakashi-san… I knew you would be willing to come." He nodded and spoke in a calm voice.

"It's not everyday the Hokage summons an X-ANBU to track… I take it it's serious…?" Tsunade nodded, and looked him in the eye.

"It's Naruto… he's gone." Kakashi narrowed his eye and nodded, understanding that the situation was more serious than it seemed. "And Kakashi… I want to make sure he hasn't fallen into the Akatsuki's hands. So I've decided you, Sakura, and I will track down an Akatsuki member." Kakashi cocked an eyebrow in question.

"And you decided I'd be best to come?" Tsunade nodded.

"If anything, you can get Tobi- er, Obito, to help, since he is a close friend of yours. And Sakura will be coming with us because I think, aside from Naruto, she's the only one Deidara will answer to."

"And if their memories have been sealed as we expected?"

"That's another reason I might need you- aside from Jiraiya, who I will leave as the Hokage for the time being, you're the best nin I know at reversing memory seals."

"Then you summoned me in my ANBU guise-"

"-So you will legally be able to use the reversal of the memory seals technique." Kakashi nodded, and pulled on his ANBU mask, just as the door slid open, and a third nin walked hesitantly in.

Sakura stood shakily in the doorway, not yet recovered from the shock. Her emerald eyes were wide with fear, and her cheeks were streaked with drying tears. She leaned heavily on the doorway, and as Tsunade looked at her, she felt bad for the young kunoichi. She had had to go through much more than any of the others, and it was evident that she had problems coping with this amount of stress. Tsunade helped her to a seat, and told her of her plan. Sakura nodded, her body trembling as she sat listening.

"Now… Sakura, do you think you'll be ok? Or would you prefer to stay here in the village? I think with a little persuasion, we could get Deidara to talk, even without you. But, I'd prefer to have you with us. Only, however, if you're up to it." Sakura nodded in understanding then answered, her voice weak and wavering.

"I… I think so… If you think it'll save… Naruto…" Her voice cracked, and tears began to fall from her eyes. Tsunade eyed Kakashi, patting Sakura sympathetically on the shoulder. They both knew it was going to be a difficult journey… especially if she was going to be like this the entire time.

For several moments, the three of them were quiet, but the silence was broken as a cheerful Jiraiya walked in the door, smiling widely at the three solemn nins. His smile faded, however, as he noticed their expressions. Slightly confused, he cocked an eyebrow at Tsunade.

"What's wrong? You three look as though someone died." He said this half-jokingly, but Sakura broke out into sobs, and Tsunade eyed him angrily.

"Nobody has died, Jiraiya…" She said through gritted teeth, angry that he had set Sakura off. Jiraiya met her eyes, and Tsunade spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. "Naruto is missing…" She turned to Sakura, then looked back at Jiraiya, motioning they'd talk out in the hallway.

Tsunade left, and Jiraiya followed suit, closing the door softly behind him. Making sure they were out of earshot, Tsunade looked at him and whispered sternly at him.

"Listen. Naruto's gone, and I need to keep order in Konoha. Both you and I know that if I even mention Naruto's disappearance, panic will surge through the village, and chaos will break loose. If it were anyone other than Naruto, I'd have all teams out in search, but seeing as he's a container…" She trailed off briefly. "My main concern is getting Naruto back safely, with as little chaos as possible. I believe in worst case scenario, the Akatsuki have gotten hold of him. And if that's so… I need to personally go out there with a team of trusted nins and get him back." Jiraiya frowned, but nodded. "And this is where you come in- I don't know how long I'll be gone, and I need someone to be the Hokage for Konoha for the time being- are you up to that?" Jiraiya scowled.

"You do realize that this is going against every one of the Hokage's laws? Using an impersonator to trick the villagers? The council won't be pleased if they find out-"

"Which they don't need to." Tsunade sighed. "I know, I'll probably be fired, but at this point, all that matters to me right now is making sure that Naruto is ok…" With a deep sigh, Jiraiya nodded.

"I'll do it… but, I have one question. What will you do if Naruto's seal has acted up, and he's too far to save-" Tsunade looked up at him with glassy eyes.

"If that's the case… I'll do what is best for both him and everyone else…" She wiped her eyes, and bit her lip. "I hope, however, that such drastic measures won't have to be taken."

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By that evening, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sakura had mapped out their route to find the Akatsuki's hideout. They had decided the best way to find a member and get answers from them was to travel in the group, rather than splitting up. Their first stop was the outskirts of the hidden village of rock, where a pair of Akatsuki members had recently been sighted.

Tsunade had estimated only to be out for a week at most, and if Naruto had not been found by then, she decided that she would give up search, though extra guards would be patrolling the village at night.

The small team stood at the village's gates as a strong autumnal wind brushed through. After gathering their supplies and readying themselves, they quietly departed, thus starting their journey to the earth country. The first part of the journey was uneventful; Sakura was unusually silent, deep in thought, while Kakashi and Tsunade did not speak to one another. Tsunade was too worried about her student to talk, and Kakashi was too preoccupied trying to pick up a possible trail to strike a conversation.

After several hours of the silent travelling, the moon had risen high in the sky, and they decided to take a break, settling down in a small clearing in the woods they were passing through.

Sakura leaned against a nearby tree, gazing thoughtfully into the crackling fire Kakashi had created. The fire's warmth was soothing, but even so, Sakura found herself cold and trembling. She had never felt this much fear before, and as she thought more and more about it, she realized why.

She was worried for Naruto's health, that was true, but there was something else that tugged at her from deep within, made her hair stand on end when her thoughts lightly grazed the subject. Naruto was a strong ninja, and she respected him for his willpower and strength, but when it came to telling others about his problems, she wished he would be more open. For some reason, she felt that his seal having acted up had something to do with it, and if that was the case, it meant Kyuubi was still alive, which meant Naruto could transform into that… thing.

She still had vivid memories of the terrifying beast with no remorse, ripping the throats out of innocent nins, and how she had so closely become one of its victims… How it could have so easily taken her life, had Deidara not saved her. If that thing came back… if he turned into that monster again… what would they do? She had learned that there was no way to wake Naruto once he was in that murderous trance, not even her love for him.

A loud crack from the fire aroused her from her deep thoughts, and she found herself shivering uncontrollably. She looked up as someone draped a warm blanket over her shoulders. Tsunade stood over her, and smiling, sat herself down beside Sakura, staring into the fire.

"Sakura-san…" Tsunade smiled sadly at her, and whispered softly. "You don't need to worry about that. Both Kakashi and I will protect you." Sakura's eyes widened, and she looked up in amazement… How had Tsunade known…? She chuckled softly. "It's not that hard to read your emotions… especially with what you've been through already." Sakura averted her eyes, returning her gaze to the dying fire.

"But what if… what if Kyuubi takes over… what if…" She trailed off, her voice wavering. "What if he doesn't wake up…?" Tsunade looked at Sakura with concern. Her student had definitely been able to figure out a lot more than she had wanted her to. She was aware that there was a good chance that if he let the seal take over…

"Sakura… it would be best if you didn't think that far ahead. Leave that to Kakashi and I. We will do everything in our power to stop anything like that from happening while we're with you…" She smiled whole-heartedly, hoping to cheer her pupil. "Meanwhile, why don't you have some of my sake? It'll help you sleep." She pulled out a bottle, and offered it to Sakura who shook her hand in decline.

"I'd rather not-"

"Oh, come on, just a small sip!" Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling through a few tears that had fallen, and took the bottle, draining half the container in a swift gulp. Tsunade laughed loudly.

"Just like your sensei! I'll train you to be the best sake-chugger Konoha, or any of the other villages have seen!" The both laughed, and Kakashi appeared, his arms full of fresh firewood, an inquisitive look on his face. Though, when he saw Sakura smiling, he returned the warm smile beneath his mask.

None of them were expecting what happened next. As their mood slowly lifted, they had lowered their guard, it wasn't until it was too late that they noticed they were being watched.

Sakura smiled at Tsunade, picking up a nearby stick, and poking at the glowing embers of the fire as Kakashi added more wood. She, in particular, was expecting nothing, and she was caught completely off-guard when Tsunade dove at her, knocking her flat on the ground.

"Ggh… Tsunade-sama… what-?" Sakura pushed herself off the ground, and turned to Tsunade, freezing as she saw her hunched on the ground, six shuriken and four kunai, each weapon coated in a deep purple venom, protruding crudely from her back. Her head was bent, so Sakura could not see her eyes, only the blood that dripped from her mouth. She huffed heavily, but staggered to her feet, pulling the weapons out of her back.

Kakashi had pulled off his headband and was now activating his shuriken, and Sakura had brought herself to a ready stance, kunai out and ready. Everything after that was a blur of weapons and attacks, until, as Sakura remembered clearly, a strong blow to her head had knocked her into a dreamless sleep.

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Naruto cracked an eye weakly, too sore to move. His eyesight was blurred, and it was several minutes before his eyes had adjusted to the dim light in the room he lay. The word spun as he sat up, and he felt as though he had taken several blows to the head, as he had a splitting headache. Wincing, he held his head, eyes widening as he felt sticky bandages beneath his fingers. Surprised, he pulled his hand away and looked at it. He was bleeding. What had happened…?

As Naruto tried to piece what he could remember together, a figure walked into the room and stood over Naruto, who, stunned by the powerful chakra presence, sat unmoving, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Gathering his courage, he cautiously turned his head towards the figure and felt his entire body lock as he met with blood red eyes. It was impossible… how…?

The figure took a step forward, letting a shaft of moonlight reveal his appearance. The figure was a man with a stern frown, two long black bangs falling in his face, the rest of his hair spiking back.

"S….Sasuke?!?" The man's lips parted in what could be a resemblance to a smile. When he spoke, his voice sent shivers down Naruto's spine.

"No… but he was my kin…" The man raised his thumb to his mouth and bit his finger, letting blood ooze from the wound. "My own blood…" He bent over and cupped his hand around Naruto's chin, and Naruto, gripped by fear, did nothing but stare, his eyes wide. Letting his maniacal smile widen, he spoke in a threatening tone.

"And so, we both have the same power. But that brat was too foolish to use it. We have the power…" He paused, closing his eyes momentarily, then snapped them open, his irises spinning madly. "The power… to control you." Naruto felt his headache split, and blinded by the pain, he yelled out, grasping madly at his stomach as a matching intense pain spread from his seal.

Naruto's eyes were wide with pain, but he saw nothing… his irises faded from their normal cerulean blue to a bloodthirsty red. A red chakra engulfed him, and it began to eat away at his skin, his form dripping blood that mingled with the murderous power. Naruto screeched in pain, but this time, it was not a noise of a human, but rather, that of an animal. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, deactivating his sharingan. Naruto's bloody form crumpled to the ground, and his captor walked over to him.

"Kyuubi, my pet… you've gone far out of my reach… If I try to bring you out now, the boy will perish, and so shall you. It seems I'll have to take you back one tail at a time." He paused, pacing over to a nearby window. "This should be interesting… this was something I had never anticipated… but…" He turned to Naruto's limp form again. "I think this might be a bit fun… After all… I'm sure, Kyuubi that you have not lost your loyalty to me… it's only been 16 years."

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And with that, you will be left with a cliffhanger until I can figure out more to write! –insert evil laughter here- Lol. XD

I hope you guys liked this… again, I'm sorry it's dark… [ Poor Naruto-san! wants to glomp him


	3. Lost Memory

Sakura stirred weakly, beginning to regain consciousness. She tried to open her eyes, but found she was in too much pain. Her head pounded, and she felt almost as though she would be sick from the pain. She turned uncomfortably, moaning as she tried to gather her strength. Her mind was fuzzy, and she couldn't think straight, though questions buzzed annoyingly through her head.

"She's waking up." Sakura recognized the male voice that hissed above her. It was calm, revealing almost no emotion. But it wasn't Kakashi's. In fact, she couldn't place the voice. She knew she had heard it before, but could not put the voice to a face.

Again, Sakura tried to open her eyes, this time managing to open them enough to see a blur of colors through her semi-closed eyelids. She forced them open a bit more, but found herself unable to focus on the male who peered down curiously at her. As far as she could tell, he had two amethyst-colored eyes, complemented nicely by his short silvery hair. He wore a slight frown, a sharp tooth pushing its way between his lips so it protruded through his closed mouth.

Sakura tried to speak, but found her voice barely there; she was only able to mouth the words.

"Don't worry, kunoichi. We're not going to hurt you." By this time, Sakura had been able to fully open her eyes, and she was seeing more clearly. The silver-haired shinobi leaned down to her and spoke in a hissing whisper, so as his friend in the other room would not here. "Forget the past."

Sakura looked at him questioningly, but he stood and walked into the next room. She was so confused…

She tried to sit up, making it halfway before feeling a sharp pain in her stomach. She winced and felt herself weaken again, but a strong hand supported her, holding her up so she wouldn't fall back.

"Don't overdo yourself, kunoichi. You took a lot of damage, and you need to let your body heal itself." The second voice was stronger than the first, and Sakura turned to the new shinobi. She knew this voice. And she knew who it was.

The blonde smiled warmly at her, a smile she had never seen on his usually sour face. The shinobi's blonde hair was brushed over his left eye covering it completely, while his other eye winked as he smiled. When he opened his eye, he looked at Sakura with concern. He was sitting next to her bed in the seat Suigetsu had occupied moments ago. He sighed then slowly took his hand away from her back, making sure she could support herself.

"Thanks…" She murmured, struck by his odd behavior.

"Don't think anything of it, un." A moment of silence followed, Sakura was at a loss for words. Then the blonde spoke up in his oddly cheerful voice. "Ah, right! I almost forgot introductions! My name's Deidara, and the shinobi behind me is Suigetsu, un. What's your name?"

This hit Sakura hard. She had figured that if they ever met up again, he would have most likely lost his memories, but she had never really imagined how painful it would be to be forgotten by a dear friend. She felt her heart stop as she thought of how he might never remember her again. She felt her voice catch in her throat as she tried to answer Deidara, who was now looking at her expectantly.

"Sa-Sakura."

"Sakura-san, un?" He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, a look of pain and surprise frozen on his face. He bowed his head, reaching a shaking hand beneath his golden hair to clasp his left eye. His right eye narrowed, and he stood suddenly. He pulled his hand to look at his palm, and Sakura let out a small gasp as blood dripped from his hand. He clutched his eye again, and staggered into the other room, muttering an apology.

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes, watching as Deidara left a bloody trail behind him. When the blonde was out of earshot, he reclaimed his seat and turned to Sakura.

"Why…?" Suigetsu shook his head. "I don't know," He said shortly. "It's interesting, though, that you made his eye act up again."

"What happened to his eye…?" Sakura was finding it difficult to take everything in- Deidara's lost memory, his eye that apparently was hurt, Suigetsu with him.

"Again, I don't know. All I know is that after I lived through the hell Sasuke brought upon me, I found him unconscious and pretty close to death a few days after that Konoha bastard kicked, and took Karin with him."

"So…. The kunoichi… Karin…" Suigetsu bit his lip, looking away from Sakura to hide the pain in his eyes. "That bastard killed her…" Sakura lowered her eyes, she could see that he had cared deeply for her.

"I…. I'm so sorry…" Suigetsu stood up and looked coldly out the window across the room. "Yeah, me too." There was a moment of silence.

"What happened to the other member of your team… the one with orange hair?" Sui let a sad smile cross his face. "I don't know, never really showed up after Sasuke died. I guess he figured he wasn't needed anymore." Another pause. Then it was Suigetsu's time to ask a question.

"Oi, what were you doing out in the forest alone?" Sakura blinked, trying to think back to what had happened in the forest. Then she remembered that she hadn't been alone, and panic surged through her.

"Actually, I wasn't alone." Suigetsu raised his eyebrow inquisitively. "I was in a team of three- Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama, and I." She added quickly. "And… we were looking for Deidara. Though, with the state he's in…" She broke off, casting a quick glance at the door Deidara had staggered out through. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "He's still in the Akatsuki, isn't he?!"

"No. He has no memory of the Akatsuki. It's sad. He had a good friend, also one of my friends- Sasori. He has no memory of him. It's almost like the old Deidara never existed…" He saw the pain in Sakura's eyes as he said this, and quickly changed the subject. "So, you were with two other Konoha nins?"

"Yeah. I have to find them." Sui nodded.

"But first you have to rest up for a bit. Even though you're probably anxious to get back to them, you're in no condition to start walking around."

"Thank you for caring of me while I slept, but I think I can take care of myself." Sakura gathered her chakra in her hand, watching as a soft green glow engulfed her palm. She passed it over some of her wounds and sighed in relief as a cool sensation took over, the pain ebbing away. She sat up, passing her hands over every cut she had suffered. Suigetsu watched her silently, and when she finished he spoke hazily, not completely present.

"Karin was a healing nin, too…" Without another word, he stood up and wandered out of the room, his purple eyes dulled to an opaque gray. Sakura was now alone and she continued to heal herself, trying to sort through everything she had just learned.

--

Kakashi sighed as Tsunade passed her glowing hand over his wounded arm. He was sitting on a tree stump. He had stripped off his shirt so Tsunade, who was kneeling beside him, could heal his deep cuts. He scanned the surrounding forest worriedly, then looked down at Tsunade.

"You think we should call for backup?" Tsunade was studying a deep cut that was not healing. She glanced briefly away to look at Kakashi.

"No. I think the less people out here, the better." She stood then motioned to a group of four nins unconscious and tied to a tree. "I think we'll be able to figure out where they took Sakura once they wake up. Though, I didn't think there were more than four people…. I guess it was a bad idea to leave Sakura alone while she was unconscious… but at least we'll get some information out of them." Kakashi nodded then reached for his shirt. Tsunade slapped his arm, and he retaliated as a sharp pain ran up his arm.

"Gah… why-?"

"I'm not done. It seems you were poisoned, and your cut isn't healing properly because of it." Kakashi let out a low moan. "Can't we just leave it?" Tsunade gave him an irritated glance. "No." She pulled out several of her antidotes and began working. A moment of silence followed; the constant hum of insects and birds in the background.

"You don't need to worry about Sakura-san. She'll be fine." Tsunade worked without replying. When she had determined the poison, she injected Kakashi with the antidote. Kakashi quickly pulled his shirt over his head and turned to the enemy nins against the tree who were now beginning to stir. Kakashi got up and walked over to the waking nins. The main nin looked up at the x-ANBU with bleary eyes.

"So… You and I are going to have some quality time together." He squatted, so he was face-to-face with his prisoner. "First off. Who hired you?" The nin did not respond.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to kill us?" Kakashi paused a moment to think.

"Depends."

"On?"

"What you've done with our younger teammate. The pink-haired kunoichi." The nin looked at him questioningly. "What would we have done with her?"

"Where is she?"

"We don't know! We had no reason to take her! Our orders were to protect the borders." Kakashi narrowed his left eye. "Whose borders?"

"You going to kill us?"

"If you don't cooperate." The nin remained silent for a moment, then tried to adjust the ropes around him so he was more comfortable. "Fine, I'll tell you." He looked at the two nins next to him, then let out a huge sigh. "The Akatsuki hired us to make sure no one bothered them while they worked. Keh, they'll probably waste us, seeing as we failed them."

"Why are you working for them?"

"It's something to do as a wanted criminal. You can't very easily harass villagers when you're wanted. And there's no other way to get money, so the hell with it." Kakashi narrowed his eye into a slit.

"Now that we've got that cleared up. You're going to tell me what you did with the kunoichi that was with us."

"We didn't do _anything_ with the pink-haired bitch! I thought we had killed her!" Kakashi grabbed the nin's shirt collar and pulled him close, so they were face-to-face. He spoke threateningly to the captured nin.

"Do you know what I can do with my right eye? I can put you through hell, that's what." The S-ranked nin paled, and his eyes widened with fear. "I… I'm telling you the truth!" Kakashi pulled out a kunai and pressed it against his prisoner's throat, drawing a bead of blood.  
"P-please! I don't know anything!" Kakashi fingered the knife ready to spill blood.

"Well, I think your teammates might be willing to speak if they're splattered by their friend's blood…" The nin's breath quickened with fear.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade spoke firmly, putting a constraining hand on the silver-haired jounin's shoulder. He turned to see the Godaime looking sternly at him. "Do not let your frustration leak into your work. These nins obviously know nothing about Sakura." Kakashi seemed stunned at first, to see the knife so close to the terrified prisoner. Then Kakashi put his kunai away and stood up; the nin who had so closely evaded death was now foaming at the mouth, as fear had taken a hold of him.

"We should leave them. They're mere underlings, they'd know nothing of Naruto's disappearance." Tsunade spoke without looking at Kakashi, instead focusing her attention on her bag of packed antidotes. "There are no leads here, we'll look for Sakura elsewhere."

Kakashi followed Tsunade silently. Hopefully, they would find Sakura before Naruto found Sakura… or killed her.

--

Heya guys!

It's been so long! And wow! Two updates! One on this chapter and (please don't shoot me) a brand new story! Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you have and comments/questions/suggestions! I will respond as best as possible!

Inuluvr

P.S. My second update will not arrive until this afternoon- it's 3 am, so…. I'm going to bed. XD


	4. Waiting

It had been almost two hours since Sakura had woken up. Her body was still sore from her recently healed wounds, but she was anxious to go out and look for Kakashi and Tsunade. When she had first gained consciousness, she tried to go out to search, but Deidara and Suigetsu had prevented her from leaving the small cabin. After much persuasion they managed to convince her that it would be wiser to wait until the sun came up. With the sun out, she'd be safer from ambushes, and the search would be much easier.

And so, she had settled down in the small room next to the fire place, a steaming cup of tea in her hand. Suigetsu and Deidara sat with her around the warm fire-stove, talking quietly by the flickering light. Sakura found it hard to talk with them—she had to act as though she had just met Deidara and Suigetsu, when she had known them for quite some time. She desperately wanted to speak to Suigetsu about Naruto's disappearance and all that had happened while they had been out of touch. It seemed that Suigetsu knew about as much as she did about Deidara, but she wondered if he might be hiding something…. Not only that, but he might be able to help with the search…

Sakura glanced briskly out the window, her anxiety growing as sunrise neared. She felt her thoughts drifting away from what Deidara was prattling on about. Her focus slowly turned towards Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade. It was only about an hour until the golden sun peeked its head over the horizon, and she wanted to leave as soon as it got light. Until then, all she could do was worry…

Her thoughts and Deidara's light chatter were interrupted by a soft knocking on the door. Suigetsu looked up curiously—it was obvious to Sakura that he had gotten bored with Deidara's stories, and was happy to have something exciting disrupt the peace. From what she could tell, Suigetsu seemed to be someone always looking for action.

Another round of light rapping on the door pulled Suigetsu from his seat. He was sure now that he hadn't dreamt the noise, so withdrawing a kunai, he cautiously stalked to the door. They weren't expecting anyone, and he figured it was best to expect the worst scenario. Both Deidara and Sakura watched with curiosity. In one swift movement, Suigetsu unlocked the door and moved to guard the entrance. He let his guard down, however, as he saw a young Konoha shinobi with dark black hair standing in the door frame. He looked up at Suigetsu with two narrowed black eyes. As his eyes met the new shinobi, the Konoha nin's eyes lit up with sudden surprise. The surprise disappeared as he blinked however, and he spoke in a very calm and soft, yet firm voice.

"Onii-san…. You're alive…" His eyes were still half-lidded, and his expression did not change as he said this. Suigetsu scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. "Uh… sorry, kid… but I think you've confused me with someone else…" The shinobi shook his head doubtfully, "No, I recognize you, even if you don't recognize me, nii-san…. Sui-san"

"Sai!" Sakura, who had been watching from her seat was now standing behind Suigetsu, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

-----------------------------------

Naruto sat in the corner of his prison, pain surging through every part of his body. He was suffering so much… but he wouldn't let the Uchiha break his soul; Not this easily. He was going to fight through to the end, even if that meant living through the agony of the enemy's horrible techniques…. the techniques that were destroying him from the inside out. He knew the sharingan-wielder was at the root of it all, but knew nothing more. Who was the Uchiha? He felt as though they had met before, but… who…?

Naruto could not even remember what he looked like, aside from the blood-red eye. It seemed that every time the Uchiha came, Naruto fell into unconsciousness. No, it wasn't unconsciousness… it was almost as though he lost control of his body… and his memories were tampered with, Naruto knew. Maybe it was a natural instinct to block out pain, but he couldn't remember anything about the sharingan user. He knew it wasn't right. Nothing seemed to be right…

Naruto lifted his head slightly to scan the room.

His cell was a dark room with no windows or lights. The walls were dank and cold, made of large stones, almost like a castle's. There was a small bed in one corner, but Naruto did not use it. When he was left alone to rest, he curled himself into a corner like a wounded animal, and did not move.

The walls, Naruto had quickly learned, sucked the life chakra out of anyone contained inside. How quickly it did so, however, depended on how much he moved. That was why he was in the corner—he was conserving as much energy as he could. By balling his chakra, he found he was able to keep a fair amount in his body. He still wasn't completely sure how it worked, but he was surviving, and that's what mattered most to him at the moment.

Slowly, Naruto let his eyes close. He had lost copious amounts of blood today. How or why he did not know—he couldn't remember, but when he had woken in the cell he had been soaked in his own blood, and was barely able to drag himself to the corner.

Naruto felt his consciousness fading slowly. But as he let the darkness consume him, he could hear the slow footsteps of his captor coming to the cell….

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Hey guys,

A very, very short chapter update…. and kinda dark. X__X At least you have a Sai/Sui problem to look forward to? I don't know. XD Haha, sorry guys to give such a crappy update! -hides- Don't hate me?

XD Hopefully I'll get my writing flowing again. Hope to update soon!

~Inuluvr


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